Thatcher death: Falklands’ sadness at her passing

RORY REYNOLDS

NEWSPAPERS across the globe marked the death of Baroness Thatcher, with publications from South Africa and Kuwait to Slovakia and China carrying iconic images of the former prime minister.

Many were accompanied by praise of her strong leadership and legacy, however, others focused on turbulent episodes during her rule.

“Hailed and despised”, read The Citizen, the Johannesburg-based South African tabloid, “Fans praise Iron Lady, but her death leaves others cold”.

Le Figaro, the right-leaning Paris daily, praised her “courage in power”, while France’s former premier Pierre Mauroy – who encouraged Mrs Thatcher to allow the building of the Channel Tunnel – told l’Express that she was a “formidable opponent”, and a “great British prime minister despite being a conservative, even reactionary”.

Norbert Koerzdoerfer of the German title Bild wrote: “She was tough. On herself. On us. On Britain. For the sake of Britain.”

Elsewhere on the Continent, newspapers including the Rheinische Post, the Dusseldorf-based regional, DNES, the right-wing Czech paper, and Slovakia’s Pravda paid homage.

On the other side of the globe, the South China Morning Post led with “Tributes flow for a giant of 20th century” accompanied by a picture of her visit to the region. Both the Shanghai Daily and Malaysian Reserve made reference to the “Iron Lady” on their front pages.

The Arabic-language Al-Sharq al-Awsat, based in London, described her as “a rare kind of political leader who … has the ability and will to implement unpopular policies and leave their mark for many decades”. In the United States, the Washington Times described her as “fiercely loyal and tough ally” in a headline, pictured with close ally, the then-president Ronald Reagan, which the newspaper called the “dynamic duo”. The Wall Street Journal hailed her the “woman who saved Britain”. The National Post, Canada’s conservative newspaper, praised her as “a courageous reformer, an unflinching leader”. The Argentine press portrayed her as a warmonger, but the Penguin News, in Port Stanley, liberated by UK forces in 1982, led with: “Lady Thatcher’s death received with great sadness in Falkland Islands”.